FePt granular thin films are considered to be suitable candidates for ultrahigh density perpendicular recording media beyond 1 Tbits/in2 due to the high magnetocrystalline anisotropy of the L10−FePt phase (˜7×107 erg/cc). Since high Ku media has high Hc (larger than current head field), heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) is proposed as next generation magnetic recording technology. FePt is one of the candidates for HAMR media due to its Ku. To use FePt as HAMR media, FePt nano-particles should have (001) orientation. Currently, an MgO (001) underlayer is widely used to grow FePt in (001) direction. Although it serves as a proper underlayer, an MgO (001) underlayer still has some drawbacks such as low deposition rates, poor thermal conductivity, high electrical insulation and the production of MgO dust.